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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) –
“We do not become Christians by ourselves, of our own will,
autonomously, but rather we are generated and grow in faith within
the great body of the Church”, said Pope Francis during this
morning's general audience. “The Church is truly a mother, a mother
who gives life in Christ and who enables us to live with all our
brethren in the communion of the Holy Spirit”.

The Holy Father explained that the
Church has a model for this maternity in the Virgin Mary. “The
maternity of the Church is in continuity with that of Mary. … The
Church, in the fruitfulness of the Spirit, continues to generate new
sons and daughters in Christ. .. The birth of Jesus from Mary's womb
is indeed the prelude to the rebirth of every Christian and He is the
first-born of a multitude of brothers. Therefore, we are able to
understand the depth of the relationship between Mary and the Church;
when we look to Mary, we see the most beautiful and most tender face
of the Church; when we look to the Church, we recognise the sublime
features of Mary. We Christians are not orphans”.

He remarked that the Church is our
mother as she gave birth to us in our Baptism, and, “since that
day, like an affectionate mother, brings us up in faith and shows us,
through the strength of God's Word, the path of salvation, defending
us from evil”. The maternity of the Church is particularly evident
in the service of evangelisation, in which she is “committed, like
a mother, to offering her sons the spiritual nourishment that
nurtures them and renders Christian life fruitful. The path of
salvation, by which the Church guides us and accompanies us with the
strength of the Gospel and the support of the Sacraments, gives us
the capacity to defend ourselves against evil, like a courageous
mother who protects her children from danger.

The Pope warned that, although God has
defeated Satan, he always returns with his temptations. “We must
not be ingenuous”, he said, “but must instead remain vigilant and
firm in our faith, with the counsel and the help of the mother Church
who ... accompanies her children in difficult moments”. Similarly,
Francis encouraged those present to remember that we, all baptised
persons, are the Church, and must not be afraid to bear witness to
this maternity. “Let us entrust ourselves to Mary”, he concluded,
“so that she may teach us to have the same maternal spirit towards
our brethren, with a sincere capacity to accept, forgive, give
strength and infuse trust and hope”.

Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) –
In his greetings in various languages, following his catechesis
during today's general audience, the Pope addressed Arab-speaking
pilgrims, especially those from Iraq, reminding them that the Church
is a mother and therefore, like all mothers, know how to accompany
her child when in need, to seek him out when he is lost, and to
“defend the defenceless and persecuted”. “Today, I especially
wish to assure the latter, the defenceless and persecuted, of my
closeness – you are in the heart of the Church, the Church suffers
with you and is proud of you, proud to have sons and daughters like
you. You are the strength and the concrete and authentic example of
her message of salvation, forgiveness and love. I embrace all of you,
all of you. May the Lord bless you and protect you always”.

He went on to address Polish-speaking
pilgrims and recalled that, during these days various cities in
Poland commemorate the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second
World War. “Let us entrust to God's mercy those who lost their
lives for the love of their homeland and their brothers, and let us
invoke the gift of peace in all the nations of Europe and throughout
the world, by the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace”.

Finally, he greeted the faithful from
the Italian diocese of Terni-Narni-Amelia, to whom he expressed his
concerns regarding the difficult situation experienced by many
families in Terni due to the plans of the Thyssenkrupp Corporation,
and renewed his appeal that “the logic of profit may not prevail,
but rather that of solidarity and justice. The person and his or her
dignity is at the heart of every issue, including that of work. We
must not joke about work. Those who, for the sake of money, business
and greater profit, leave people without work, must be aware that
this means removing their dignity”.

Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) –
The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has
published the following calendar of liturgical celebrations at which
the Holy Father will preside during the month of September:

Saturday, 13: Pastoral visit to the
military monument of Redipuglia, Italy, and Holy Mass.

Sunday, 14: Festivity of the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross. 9 a.m., in St. Peter's Basilica, Holy Mass with
the rite of marriage.

Sunday, 21: Apostolic trip to Albania.

Sunday, 28: 10.30 a.m. in St. Peter's
Square, Holy Mass with the elderly.

Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) –
The following is a list of Pope Francis' activities during the month
of August, including the Angelus, audiences, other pontifical acts,
telegrams, messages and other news. The activities are presented in
chronological order within the respective categories.

ANGELUS

3: Francis comments on the three
messages that Jesus offers with the multiplication of the loaves and
the fishes: compassion, sharing and the Eucharist. In this Gospel
reading, Christ shows us the path which will enable us to face the
needs of this world in a brotherly way, and which will lead us beyond
this world.

10: The Gospel tells that Jesus walks
on water and, when Peter tests him, he too is able to walk on water.
“Jesus tells us that we are able to perform miracles with our
faith, faith in God, faith in His Word, faith in His voice”.

24: Simon, in the name of the the
Twelve, professes his faith in Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the
living God”; Jesus calls him “blessed” for his faith,
recognising that this is a special gift from the Father, and says to
him, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church”.
The Pope explains that “the Lord intends to construct, to imagine
his community, as a building. Therefore, when he hears Simon's
sincere profession of faith, he calls him a 'rock' and declares his
intention to build His Church on this faith”.

31: Jesus, after ensuring that Peter
and the other eleven disciples believe in Him as the Messiah and Son
of God, begins to explain that He must go to Jerusalem where He will
suffer greatly, will die, and will rise again on the third day. “It
is a critical moment in which Jesus' and the disciples' method of
thinking emerges”.

WEDNESDAY GENERAL AUDIENCES

6: The Pope describes the Church as the
new People of God, founded on the new Covenant sealed with the blood
of Jesus, and emphasises the importance of John the Baptist as he
prepares the people to receive Jesus.

20: First General Audience following
the Holy Father's return from Korea. Francis recounts to the faithful
the main events of his visit – the beatification of 124 martyrs and
his meeting with the young, which enabled him to present the Church
as a family which transmits to the new generations the faith received
from their ancestors.

27: “When we recite the Creed”,
says the Pope, “we say that the Church is 'one', and 'holy', even
though we know from experience that she is made up of sinners and
there is no lack of divisions”. Francis recalls that “in a
Christian community, division is one of the most serious sins, as it
does not allow God to act”.

MESSAGES AND TELEGRAMS

4: Message from the Pope to Scouts in
Europe to mark the Eurojamboree, held in
Saint-Evroult-Notre-Dame-du-Bois in Normandy, France from 1 to 10
August 2014.

4: Telegram of condolences from the
Holy Father for the death of Cardinal Edward Bede Clancy, titular of
Santa Maria in Vallicella, archbishop emeritus of Sydney, Australia.

6: Message from the Holy Father to the
1st Latin-American Congress for Family Pastoral, held in Panama from
4 to 9 August.

9: Letter from Pope Francis to his
special envoy to the celebration of the 3rd World Apostolic Congress
on Mercy (WACOM III), which took place in Bogota, Colombia from 15 to
19 August.

11: Video message from Pope Francis
broadcast in Korea by the KBS on the occasion of his apostolic trip
to the Republic of Korea for the 6th Asian Youth Day.

11: Telegram of condolences from the
Holy Father to the victims of the air crash at the international
airport of Mehrabad-Teheran, Iran.

13: Letter from the Pope to the
Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, on the dramatic
situation unfolding in the north of Iraq.

18: Letter from the Holy Father to the
special envoy to the solemn Eucharistic Celebration to mark the 250th
anniversary of the foundation of St. Louis in the U.S.A., on 24
August.

22: Telegram from the Pope for the
death in Novi, Michigan, U.S.A. of Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka,
title of Sts. Andrew and Gregory at Monte Celio, president emeritus
of the Pontifical Commission for the Governorate of Vatican City
State.

23: Message from the Holy Father for
the 35th edition of the Summer Festival for Friendship Among Peoples,
held on 24 August in Rimini, Italy, on the theme: “To the ends of
the world and of existence. Destiny has not left man alone”.

25: Telegram from the Pope on the
occasion of the Synod of the Waldensian Methodist Church, which began
on 24 August in Torre Pellice, Piedmont, Italy.

PASTORAL VISIT TO KOREA

13: The Holy Father begins his
apostolic trip in Korea. Francis arrives in Seoul where he is
received by Park Geun-hye, president of the Republic of Korea, and
various other state authorities. He meets with the bishops of the
country in the offices of the Episcopal Conference of Korea.

15: Francis travels to the World Cup
Stadium in Daejeon to celebrate Mass and visits the shrine of Solmoe,
where a large number of young people await his arrival to celebrate
the 6th Asian Youth Day.

16: The Pope visits the Shrine to the
Martyrs of Seo So-Mun and the Gwanghwamun Gate in Seoul where he
beatifies Paul Yun Ji-Chung and 123 companion martyrs. He visits the
rehabilitation centre for the disabled in Yongsan, the “Cemetery
for Aborted Children”, and the “School of Love” in Kkottongnae,
where he meets the religious community of Korea. The Pope later meets
with the leaders of the lay apostolate at the Kkottongnae Spiritual
Centre.

17: The Holy Father visits the Shrine
to the unknown martyrs, where he meets with the bishops of Asia. From
there, he transfers to the Castle of Haemi to celebrate Mass to
conclude the 6th Asian Youth Day.

18: In Myeong-dong Cathedral Francis
meets with religious leaders and celebrates Mass for peace and
reconciliation in Korea. He returns to Vatican City.

11: Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S.,
prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. On Sunday, 10 August in the
Domus Sanctae Marthae the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal
Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation
of Peoples.

28: The Pope received in separate
audiences Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical
Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples;
Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council
for Promoting New Evangelisation, and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri,
prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

29: Fr. Jorge Hernandez, of the
Institute of the Incarnate Word, priest in Gaza, Palestine.

APPOINTMENTS

2: Cardinal Paul Jozef Cordes,
president emeritus of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, as special
envoy to the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the foundation
of the Willibaldinum Seminary in the diocese of Eichstatt, Germany,
to be held on 11 October.

5: Bishop Luis Adriano Piedrahita,
formerly of Apartado, Colombia, is appointed as bishop of Santa Marta
in Colombia. He succeeds Bishop Hugo Eugenio Puccini Banfi, whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching
the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

6: Nomination of Archbishop Fernando
Jose Guimaraes, C.SS.R., as military ordinary of Brazil. Previously
bishop of Garanhus in Brazil, he succeeds Archbishop Osvino Jose
Bosth, whose resignation from office upon reaching the age limit was
accepted by the Holy Father.

Bishop Ernesto Maguengue, previously of
Pemba, Mozambique, is appointed as auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Nampula in the same country.

7: Nomination of Rev. Bohdan Danylo,
formerly rector of St. Basil's seminary, Stamford, U.S.A., as bishop
of St. Josaphat in Parma of the Ukrainians, U.S.A.

9: Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president
emeritus of the Governorate of Vatican City State, is appointed as
the Pope's special envoy to the celebration of the centenary of the
foundation of the Apostolic Movement of Schonstatt, to be held in
Schonstatt in Vallendar, Germany, from 16 to 19 October.

12: Rev. Sevastianos Rossolatos,
chancellor of the curia and rector of the “Faneromeni” shrine,
Greece, is appointed as archbishop of Athens and apostolic
administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of Rhodes,
Greece. He succeeds Archbishop Nikolaos Foskolos, whose resignation
from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese and from the office of
apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis”
of Rhodes upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy
Father.

20: Bishop Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda of
Hiroshima, Japan, is appointed as archbishop of Osaka, Japan. He
succeeds Archbishop Leo Jun Ikenaga, S.J., whose resignation from the
pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was
accepted.

22: Rev. Gerardo Diaz Vasquez, priest
of Maria Reina y Madre de los Campesinos in Tepatitlan, Mexico, is
appointed as bishop of Tacambaro, Mexico. He succeeds Bishop Jose
Luis Castro Medellin, M.S.F., whose resignation from the pastoral
care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted.

26: Msgr. Maurizio Malvestiti,
under-secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, is
appointed as bishop of Lodi, Italy. He succeeds Bishop Giuseppe
Merisi, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese
upon reaching the age limit was accepted.

On the same day, the Pope appointed
Bishop Daniel Edward Thomas, auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Philadelphia, U.S.A., as bishop of Toledo in America, U.S.A.

27: The Holy Father accepted the
resignation from the pastoral care of the eparchy of Satna of the
Syro-Malabars, India, presented by Bishop Mathew Vaniakizhakkel,
C.V., in accordance with canon 210 paras. 1 and 2 of the Code of
Canons of the Eastern Churches.

The Pope appoints Rev. Fr. Adolfo Zon
Pereira, S.X., parish priest of Santa Rosa de Lima in Abaetetuba and
regional bursar of his order for North Brazil, as coadjutor bishop of
the diocese of Alto Solomoes in Brazil.

28: Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra of
Valencia, Spain, is appointed as metropolitan archbishop of Madrid,
Spain. He succeeds Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon
reaching the age limit was accepted.

Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera,
prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of
the Sacraments, is appointed as metropolitan archbishop of Valencia,
Spain.

29: Bishop George Njaralakatt, eparch
of Mandya in India, is appointed as archbishop of the eparchy of
Tellicherry of the Syro-Malabars in India.

OTHER NEWS

5: In St. Peter's Square, the Holy
Father greets 50,000 German-speaking monks from the dioceses of
Germany, Vienna and Linz, Austria, and Latvia, during their
pilgrimage to Rome.

7: The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., speaks on the Pope's behalf
regarding his concerns for the exodus of Christian communities from
the north of Iraq due to the violence that plagues the region, and
repeats his appeal to the international community to bring an end to
this humanitarian crisis.

8: The Holy See Press Office
communicates that the Holy Father has appointed Cardinal Fernando
Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of
Peoples, as his personal envoy to express his spiritual closeness and
the solidarity of the Church to the people of Iraq.

10: Following the Mass celebrated by
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian Episcopal
Conference, the Pope greets by telephone 30,000 scouts gathered in
Pisa, Italy, to conclude their Third National Route.

20: In the afternoon, the Pope meets
with members of Work of Nazareth, accompanied by Cardinal Jean-Louis
Tauran, in the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) –
The following is a list of the activities linked to the Holy See
during the month of August 2014:

12: The Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue issues a declaration on “the reinstatement
of the Caliphate”, which was abolished in 1923 by Kamal Ataturk,
founder of modern Turkey, affirming that opposition to this
“reinstatement” by the majority of Muslim religious and political
institutions has not prevented the jihadists of the “Muslim State”
from committing unspeakable criminal acts that this dicastery, like
all those involved in interreligious dialogue, the followers of all
religions and all men and women of goodwill can only denounce and
condemn. It emphasises that “Christians and Muslims have been able
to live alongside one another – certainly with highs and lows –
for centuries, building a culture of co-existence and a civilisation
of which they are proud”.

13: The Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
communicates that, since the month of June, humanitarian assistance
programmes for Iraqi refugees have been underway. These programmes
are organised by the local Church, in particular via Caritas Iraq,
and have already reached 4000 families. Other national entities of
the Caritas family have joined in the efforts, with the co-ordination
of Caritas International.

21: The Pontifical Council “Justice
and Peace” announces that Pope Francis has chosen the theme for the
48th World Day of Peace 2015, celebrated every year on 1 January:
“Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters”, and commented that in
the contemporary world, slavery assumes many abominable faces: human
trafficking, the trade in migrants and prostitution, forced labour,
the exploitation of man by his peers, and the enslavement of women
and children.

25: The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., issued a communique on the
nuncio Jozef Wesoloswki, who appealed against the first grade
canonical sentence of laicisation. The archbishop, who has already
been dismissed from his diplomatic role and therefore no longer
benefits from immunity, may also be subject to trial by other
competent judicial bodies.